Chapter 2:
Back to America
Marina peered at the clock that hung inside the airport. She leaned back against the wall by the entrance, waiting for the Bladebreakers to arrive.
"You're sure they've accepted?" said a girl to her right, with long golden- orange curly tresses, her eyes a brilliant hazel color. Marina nodded. "Well, they're late."
"We can all read the clock, Chione." Said another one of the Demangels with an irritated glance, a girl with strait blonde hair that was tied in low pigtails with ribbons that matched her odd red-pink eyes.
"Shhh, Nyoko." Said the last of the Demangels, a girl with pale blonde hair, almost white, with pink and pale blue highlights, her eyes an amber- yellow color. She was sitting on the ground, back against the wall, fingering a pair of red fuzzy dice, which she then tossed back to Marina who caught them by the connecting string.
"Indira's right." Marina said as she tied the fuzzy dice to her right belt loop on her tight jean capris. "We can't be getting restless and start bickering like that Tyson does with Hilary."
"Did I hear my name?" came a voice. The Demangels looked up at the blue haired boy, the rest of his team behind him and looking not too interested, although their eyes betrayed their hidden excitement. And there was Kai, watching Marina carefully, his eyes traveling down to rest on her red dice. She smiled inwardly, knowing he recognized them.
"Yes, you did." Indira said, standing up and extending a hand to Tyson. Tyson took it with full confidence, and Indira let slip a small smile. "I'm Indira Takahoshi." She said.
"And I'm Tyson Granger!" Tyson declared.
"Yes, we were aware of that." Said Nyoko in the same irritated tone that she had used with Chione. "But honestly, we're going to miss the plane if we don't go...right now."
Indira and Tyson released hands looking each other in the eyes. "Let's go." She said with another small smile, turning about and entering the airport, the Bladebreakers, Hilary, and Kenny following her, with the other three Demangels taking up the rear.
On boarding the plane, it turned out that the Demangels had given the Bladebreakers tickets that put them in seats that alternated with the Demangels, except for Kenny and Hilary, who had seats next to each other behind Kai and Marina, Kenny and Kai sitting in the window seats. In the middle four seats were (in order of left to right): Tyson, Indira, Max, Chione. On the other side were Rei and Nyoko, with Nyoko in the window seat. Tyson was obviously burning with energy.
As the plane lifted into the air, however, Tyson had forgotten all about going to America, and was on his sixth bag of peanuts and third glass of water, Indira watching with amusement flickering in her eyes, Max leaning forward to see around her, looking at all the empty peanut packages.
"Tyson, you'll make yourself sick!" Chione laughed from beside him.
"Just wait until we really start going...we're just lucky there are barf bags there..." As the four in the middle made fast friends, Rei and Nyoko sat in silence, Nyoko staring out the window as they rose above the clouds.
"It's gonna be a long ride." She said softly, turning her head toward Rei and smiling faintly. He nodded. "You were on the White Tigers team with Mariah, weren't you?" she said after a long pause. He nodded again, turning to her, the mentioning of his friend catching his attention. Nyoko smiled, having hoped he'd be interested. "Yeah...we, the Demangels that is, traveled around with them for a while...you're all she talks about."
"Really?"
As the ice was broken and they continued farther on about their pasts and such, Kenny was researching more about the Demangels, Hilary reading over his shoulder. Kai and Marina sat in silence, Marina listening to a CD in her walkman, and Kai sitting back, arms crossed and eyes closed.
Marina glanced sidelong at him and smirked, lowering her earphones so that they rested around the back of her neck. She turned the volume down and shifted in her seat so that she faced Kai somewhat. "You really are anti- social, aren't you. You were a lot more full of yourself the first time we met." Kai opened one of his eyes and peered at her. Kenny and Hilary grew silent, eavesdropping on the conversation. In the middle rows, Tyson and Indira were now having a peanut-eating contest, Max and Chione cheering them on. Tyson won by a long shot.
"There's nothing to say." Kai said shortly, closing his eye again. Marina smiled, brushing her hair from her eyes.
"Well, if you won't say anything, then you can listen to me." She raised an eyebrow and flashed a grin.
"Where did you go, after we first met?" Kai said abruptly, opening his eyes and frowning. Marina was a taken aback.
"Uh...oh." She smiled. "I went to Rei's old village to meet my friend Mariah. Rei had already left, I suppose, because he wasn't there when I arrived. I met Nyoko there...she had just moved in and was practicing with the remaining White Tigers, Mariah included. I stayed a while, then decided to tag along with Nyoko when she went to visit her brother, Enrique."
"Enrique, huh?" Kenny said softly. "No wonder they spent most of their time with him..."
Kai nodded slowly, closing his eyes and leaning back again. "Where'd you meet the other two?"
"We left just before you, the Bladebreakers, battled and won against the Majestics. Nyoko and I were on a cruise, and we met Chione there with her friend, Miriam, of the Saint Shields."
Kenny frowned. "Wow, they've been everywhere, huh!" Hilary nodded agreement.
"We made friends with all them, and Chione decided to stick with us. We traveled here and there, and came across my old friends, Salima and Indira. They weren't together, Indira decided to complete our team and so we were traveling around to pick up new skills, and we ran across Kane, Salima, and the rest of the gang. Then we heard that the Saint Shields were in the same area, and we heard from Dunga that he had gone and challenged you and that kid, Wyatt."
Kai opened his eyes again, staring out the window. Wyatt. He remembered full well about Dunga. He shrugged, closing his eyes again. Marina suppressed a giggle. "So then you recognized my name and wanted a rematch, to prove what you've learned." He concluded.
"No." he opened his eyes, looking at her, trying to look uninterested. She smiled. "I had heard of the Bladebreakers and that they were supposedly the best team around. So we, the Demangels, called up Mr. D to see if he could arrange a meeting. And he did; that's how we got the invitation to you. I guess it was partially because I was curious about how you've improved, but I really wanted to see the whole team, not just you...so don't get too excited."
"I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Not on me, you don't!"
"I TOLD you, Tyson! Do you ever listen? NO!"
"Shut UP Hilary!"
Marina closed her eyes and drifted into a light doze, ending the conversation where it was. Kai decided to do the same, leaning back once more and closing his eyes as Tyson and Hilary started bickering back and forth. This was going to be a long flight.
Back to America
Marina peered at the clock that hung inside the airport. She leaned back against the wall by the entrance, waiting for the Bladebreakers to arrive.
"You're sure they've accepted?" said a girl to her right, with long golden- orange curly tresses, her eyes a brilliant hazel color. Marina nodded. "Well, they're late."
"We can all read the clock, Chione." Said another one of the Demangels with an irritated glance, a girl with strait blonde hair that was tied in low pigtails with ribbons that matched her odd red-pink eyes.
"Shhh, Nyoko." Said the last of the Demangels, a girl with pale blonde hair, almost white, with pink and pale blue highlights, her eyes an amber- yellow color. She was sitting on the ground, back against the wall, fingering a pair of red fuzzy dice, which she then tossed back to Marina who caught them by the connecting string.
"Indira's right." Marina said as she tied the fuzzy dice to her right belt loop on her tight jean capris. "We can't be getting restless and start bickering like that Tyson does with Hilary."
"Did I hear my name?" came a voice. The Demangels looked up at the blue haired boy, the rest of his team behind him and looking not too interested, although their eyes betrayed their hidden excitement. And there was Kai, watching Marina carefully, his eyes traveling down to rest on her red dice. She smiled inwardly, knowing he recognized them.
"Yes, you did." Indira said, standing up and extending a hand to Tyson. Tyson took it with full confidence, and Indira let slip a small smile. "I'm Indira Takahoshi." She said.
"And I'm Tyson Granger!" Tyson declared.
"Yes, we were aware of that." Said Nyoko in the same irritated tone that she had used with Chione. "But honestly, we're going to miss the plane if we don't go...right now."
Indira and Tyson released hands looking each other in the eyes. "Let's go." She said with another small smile, turning about and entering the airport, the Bladebreakers, Hilary, and Kenny following her, with the other three Demangels taking up the rear.
On boarding the plane, it turned out that the Demangels had given the Bladebreakers tickets that put them in seats that alternated with the Demangels, except for Kenny and Hilary, who had seats next to each other behind Kai and Marina, Kenny and Kai sitting in the window seats. In the middle four seats were (in order of left to right): Tyson, Indira, Max, Chione. On the other side were Rei and Nyoko, with Nyoko in the window seat. Tyson was obviously burning with energy.
As the plane lifted into the air, however, Tyson had forgotten all about going to America, and was on his sixth bag of peanuts and third glass of water, Indira watching with amusement flickering in her eyes, Max leaning forward to see around her, looking at all the empty peanut packages.
"Tyson, you'll make yourself sick!" Chione laughed from beside him.
"Just wait until we really start going...we're just lucky there are barf bags there..." As the four in the middle made fast friends, Rei and Nyoko sat in silence, Nyoko staring out the window as they rose above the clouds.
"It's gonna be a long ride." She said softly, turning her head toward Rei and smiling faintly. He nodded. "You were on the White Tigers team with Mariah, weren't you?" she said after a long pause. He nodded again, turning to her, the mentioning of his friend catching his attention. Nyoko smiled, having hoped he'd be interested. "Yeah...we, the Demangels that is, traveled around with them for a while...you're all she talks about."
"Really?"
As the ice was broken and they continued farther on about their pasts and such, Kenny was researching more about the Demangels, Hilary reading over his shoulder. Kai and Marina sat in silence, Marina listening to a CD in her walkman, and Kai sitting back, arms crossed and eyes closed.
Marina glanced sidelong at him and smirked, lowering her earphones so that they rested around the back of her neck. She turned the volume down and shifted in her seat so that she faced Kai somewhat. "You really are anti- social, aren't you. You were a lot more full of yourself the first time we met." Kai opened one of his eyes and peered at her. Kenny and Hilary grew silent, eavesdropping on the conversation. In the middle rows, Tyson and Indira were now having a peanut-eating contest, Max and Chione cheering them on. Tyson won by a long shot.
"There's nothing to say." Kai said shortly, closing his eye again. Marina smiled, brushing her hair from her eyes.
"Well, if you won't say anything, then you can listen to me." She raised an eyebrow and flashed a grin.
"Where did you go, after we first met?" Kai said abruptly, opening his eyes and frowning. Marina was a taken aback.
"Uh...oh." She smiled. "I went to Rei's old village to meet my friend Mariah. Rei had already left, I suppose, because he wasn't there when I arrived. I met Nyoko there...she had just moved in and was practicing with the remaining White Tigers, Mariah included. I stayed a while, then decided to tag along with Nyoko when she went to visit her brother, Enrique."
"Enrique, huh?" Kenny said softly. "No wonder they spent most of their time with him..."
Kai nodded slowly, closing his eyes and leaning back again. "Where'd you meet the other two?"
"We left just before you, the Bladebreakers, battled and won against the Majestics. Nyoko and I were on a cruise, and we met Chione there with her friend, Miriam, of the Saint Shields."
Kenny frowned. "Wow, they've been everywhere, huh!" Hilary nodded agreement.
"We made friends with all them, and Chione decided to stick with us. We traveled here and there, and came across my old friends, Salima and Indira. They weren't together, Indira decided to complete our team and so we were traveling around to pick up new skills, and we ran across Kane, Salima, and the rest of the gang. Then we heard that the Saint Shields were in the same area, and we heard from Dunga that he had gone and challenged you and that kid, Wyatt."
Kai opened his eyes again, staring out the window. Wyatt. He remembered full well about Dunga. He shrugged, closing his eyes again. Marina suppressed a giggle. "So then you recognized my name and wanted a rematch, to prove what you've learned." He concluded.
"No." he opened his eyes, looking at her, trying to look uninterested. She smiled. "I had heard of the Bladebreakers and that they were supposedly the best team around. So we, the Demangels, called up Mr. D to see if he could arrange a meeting. And he did; that's how we got the invitation to you. I guess it was partially because I was curious about how you've improved, but I really wanted to see the whole team, not just you...so don't get too excited."
"I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Not on me, you don't!"
"I TOLD you, Tyson! Do you ever listen? NO!"
"Shut UP Hilary!"
Marina closed her eyes and drifted into a light doze, ending the conversation where it was. Kai decided to do the same, leaning back once more and closing his eyes as Tyson and Hilary started bickering back and forth. This was going to be a long flight.